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Thursday 11 January 2024
Former Employee of Two Leading Global Financial Institutions and His Associate Plead Guilty to Insider TradingRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the guilty pleas of ANTHONY VIGGIANO and his co-conspirator, STEPHEN FORLANO, Jr., in connection with their participation in a scheme to commit insider trading securities fraud based on information that VIGGIANO misappropriated from two leading global financial firms while VIGGIANO was employed at the firms. VIGGIANO and FORLANO were arrested in May 2023 and pled guilty to securities fraud based on insider trading before U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni. CHRISTOPHER SALAMONE previously pled guilty for his role in the scheme.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Anthony Viggiano was placed in trusted positions by not one, but two leading global financial institutions. Viggiano broke that trust repeatedly, illegally tipping Stephen Forlano, Jr., with material, confidential information. Viggiano and Forlano knew their conduct was wrong but sought to cheat the system anyway. Protecting the sanctity and integrity of the financial markets continues to be a cornerstone initiative for this Office, and we will continue to bring anyone attempting to illicitly disclose non-public information to justice.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, other public court documents, and statements made during court proceedings:
ANTHONY VIGGIANO was employed at two different, leading global financial institutions located in New York, New York, specifically an investment management firm (“Firm-1”) and an investment bank (“Firm-2,” and together with Firm-1, the “Firms”). VIGGIANO worked as an analyst in Firm-1’s New York, New York, office between in or about April 2021 and in or about October 2021 and then worked at Firm-2 in New York, New York, as an associate in the asset management department. While working at the Firms, VIGGIANO received confidential internal communications that contained detailed information about non-public potential strategic partnerships involving Firm-1 and acquisitions involving Firm-2.
VIGGIANO attended college with FORLANO and was a childhood friend of SALAMONE. In violation of the duties that he owed to each of the Firms, VIGGIANO tipped FORLANO and SALAMONE with material, non-public information (“MNPI”) relating to the names of potential counterparties for Firm-1’s strategic partnerships and, later, information that VIGGIANO learned during his employment at Firm-2 about companies that were potential acquisition targets. After VIGGIANO started working at Firm-2, he continued tipping STEPHEN FORLANO, Jr., with MNPI that VIGGIANO obtained through his employer. In total, VIGGIANO tipped FORLANO and/or SALAMONE with inside information in advance of at least eight different transactions involving publicly traded companies.
FORLANO and SALAMONE each used MNPI provided by VIGGIANO to purchase shares in companies and to trade call options, including short-dated, out-of-the-money call options. VIGGIANO and SALAMONE agreed to split the profits from their illegal trading, which yielded total illegal profits of over approximately $300,000. FORLANO further provided this MNPI to friends and family through, among other means, a video game console’s audio chat function in order to evade detection by law enforcement. FORLANO himself illegally profited at least approximately $100,000 from the scheme.
* * *
VIGGIANO, 26, of Baldwin, New York, and FORLANO, 27, of Tampa, Florida, each pled guilty to one count of securities fraud under Title 15, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI. He also expressed appreciation for the SEC, which separately initiated civil proceedings against the defendants.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter J. Davis and Jared Lenow are in charge of the prosecution.
Former Albany County Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Government FundsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – John T. Cox, age 61, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty today to mail fraud and stealing money from a federally funded governmental agency.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Ryan T. Geach, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) Northeast Region, made the announcement.
Cox admitted that between June 2017 and February 2023, while employed as a Budget Analyst in the Albany County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), he stole $122,251.25 by issuing 16 fraudulent checks drawn on funds in the care of the ACSO, an agency that received more than $10,000 in federal funding each year during this time period.
Cox used the checks to pay himself directly or to pay down his line of credit. Cox then tried to cover up his fraud by falsifying ACSO records to suggest that the funds were being used for legitimate purposes such as vehicle and equipment purchases. Cox stole some of the money from a Department of Justice program in which the federal government shares the proceeds of federal asset forfeitures with state and local law enforcement agencies.
Cox is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9, 2024 by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. The mail fraud conviction carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison and the federal program theft conviction carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison. Both charges carry a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Cox has also agreed to pay $122,251.25 in restitution to the ACSO, and to a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $113,301.25.
The FBI, DOJ OIG, and ACSO investigated the case with valuable assistance from the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Rosenthal is prosecuting the case.
Foreign National Is Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking FirearmsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Arturo Sanchez-Delgadillo, 34, of Mexico, was sentenced today to 48 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, after he attempted to trade 12 illegal firearms for half a kilogram of cocaine, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Interim Chief Roy Sisk of the Matthews Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, on December 2, 2021, Sanchez-Delgadillo knowingly possessed 12 illegal firearms which he attempted to trade for half a kilogram of cocaine with an individual working with law enforcement (CI). Court documents show that, over the course of the negotiations about the trade, Sanchez-Delgadillo sent the CI photographs of multiple firearms he possessed. On December 2, 2021, Sanchez-Delgadillo and the CI arranged to meet and make the trade. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Sanchez-Delgadillo’s vehicle while he was on his way to meet with the CI. Law enforcement searched Sanchez-Delgadillo’s vehicle and seized 12 firearms, including pistols and semiautomatic assault rifles, four pistol magazines, and two high capacity rifle magazines.
On June 21, 2023, Sanchez-Delgadillo pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the ATF and the Matthews Police Department for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Taylor G. Stout and Shavonn N. Bennette of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Five Individuals Indicted for Long-Running Pump-and-Dump SchemesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Four Canadian nationals and one former California attorney, who is believed to be residing in Mexico, were indicted on Jan. 9, 2024 in connection with long-running international securities fraud schemes in which they sold millions of shares in multiple microcap—or “penny”—stock companies during pump-and-dumps, generating at least tens of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds.
The indictment charged Frederick L. Sharp, 71, and Courtney M. Kelln, 43, both of British Columbia, with two counts each of securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud. The indictment further charged Luis Carrillo, 50, previously of California, and Mike K.G. Veldhuis, 43, and Paul Sexton, 55, both of British Columbia, with one count each of securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Sharp, Carrillo, Veldhuis and Kelln were previously charged in a criminal complaint. Also among the named co-conspirators was Roger Knox, who founded and ran the Swiss asset management firm Wintercap SA and who was sentenced for securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud in October 2023.
According to the charging documents, a pump-and-dump typically involves an effort to artificially inflate the stock price or trading volume of a publicly traded company (the “pump”) so that individuals who control a substantial portion of the company’s float can sell their shares at artificially high prices, or in a more liquid market, to other investors (the “dump”).
Sharp—who used the codename “Bond”—allegedly operated a sophisticated platform for at least six years that provided a variety of services to individuals seeking to conceal their identities in contravention of the securities laws when selling penny stock shares during pump-and-dumps. Sharp’s alleged services included: providing offshore nominee entities to hold shares for clients; providing and administering encrypted communications networks for use by clients and other co-conspirators (known as “xphone” and “xmail”); facilitating the deposit of stock through Wintercap in the names of the nominee entities; administering a proprietary web-based accounting system that tracked clients’ total stock holdings, sales and proceeds (known as “Q”); and facilitating the payment of illegal stock sale proceeds to accounts around the world at his clients’ direction.
Kelln, who worked for Sharp, allegedly facilitated the breakdown and transfer of Sharp’s clients’ shares to Sharp’s offshore nominees, as well as the shares’ subsequent deposit with Wintercap to facilitate their sale to unsuspecting investors.
Carrillo, Veldhuis and Sexton are alleged to have been “undisclosed control persons” who orchestrated pump-and-dumps using Sharp’s platform and through Wintercap. The steps in the alleged schemes generally involved: acquiring control over a significant portion, if not all, of a penny-stock issuer’s outstanding shares and a majority, if not all, of the issuer’s float, while simultaneously failing to file public disclosures when required by the securities laws; transferring the shares to nominee entities in blocks of less than five percent of the total outstanding shares of the issuer in order to evade and circumvent the securities laws and to evade scrutiny by brokers; transferring the shares held by the nominee entities to Wintercap, which in turn deposited the shares for trading at brokerages around the world; directing Wintercap to dump—i.e., sell—the shares during multifaceted promotional campaigns funded and organized by the undisclosed control persons, which campaigns at times included “boiler rooms” cold-calling unsuspecting U.S. investors in Massachusetts and elsewhere touting the stocks and soliciting purchases; and distributing the illicit proceeds from Wintercap at the undisclosed control persons’ direction.
The indictment identifies three issuers whose shares were sold during pump-and-dumps allegedly led by Carrillo:
- OneLife Technologies Corp. (ticker OLMM), millions of shares of which were sold between November 2017 and October 2018 through Wintercap, generating proceeds of approximately $5.2 million;
- Garmatex Holdings, Ltd. (ticker GRMX), millions of shares of which were sold between March and May 2017 through Wintercap, generating proceeds of approximately $5 million; and
- Pure Snax International, Inc. (ticker PSNX), millions of shares of which were sold between November 2015 and September 2016 through Wintercap, generating proceeds of approximately $1.6 million.
The indictment also identifies one issuer whose shares were sold during a pump-and-dump allegedly led by Veldhuis and Sexton:
- Vitality BioPharma, Inc., formerly known as Stevia First Corp. (tickers VBIO & STVF), millions of shares of which were sold between May 2016 and September 2018 through Wintercap, generating proceeds over $17 million.
The charges of securities fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $5 million. The charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Drabick of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Felon Admits Robbing St. Louis Pizza Delivery DriverRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon on Thursday admitted robbing a pizza delivery driver at gunpoint in St. Louis last year.
Antione L. Shockley, 26, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to robbery and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
Shockley admitted arranging to have Domino’s Buffalo wings and two pizzas delivered to a vacant home in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis on April 13, 2023. When the driver arrived, Shockley stepped out of a gangway and demanded the food at gunpoint.
Shockley also admitted firing a handgun into the air in a school zone on June 24, 2023. After St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived, Shockley gave the handgun he was holding to a woman. He then pulled a stolen Ruger from his waistband and a rifle from inside his pants and dropped them on the ground. Shockley is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms. After he was arrested and while he was being booked by police, Shockley struck an officer, injuring the officer’s head. As part of his plea agreement, Shockley has agreed to plead guilty to a gun charge and resisting arrest in St. Louis Circuit Court.
Shockley is scheduled to be sentenced April 9. Both sides have agreed to recommend 10 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.
Federal Jury Finds Minneapolis Felon Guilty of Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury found a Minneapolis man guilty of possessing a firearm as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to the evidence presented at trial, in the early morning hours of October 25, 2022, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department responded to an apartment building on Hiawatha Avenue following reports of a possible domestic incident involving a person with a gun. Officers went to the apartment unit and, as they approached the door, could hear a male voice yelling loudly. Officers ultimately opened the door using a key from apartment security and located Devon Lamont Holt, 33, and a woman inside. Officers obtained a search warrant for the apartment and recovered a loaded Taurus model G2C nine-millimeter pistol. Subsequent testing revealed Holt’s DNA on the firearm.
Because Holt has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
Following a three-day trial before Judge Katherine M. Menendez in U.S. District Court, Holt was found guilty yesterday on one count of possession of a firearm as a felon. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ruth S. Shnider and Bradley M. Endicott tried the case.Federal Inmate Sentenced to Seven Months for Possession of Contraband Cell PhoneRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal inmate pled guilty to possession of a contraband cell phone at the Low Security Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina (“LSCI Butner”) and was sentenced to seven months in prison for the charge. The seven-month term of imprisonment is in addition to, and consecutive to, his current term of imprisonment.
According to court documents, Antoine Stanfield, 42, an inmate previously housed at LSCI Butner at the time of the offense, was found in possession of a cell phone during a visual search by Federal Bureau of Prisons staff. The officer ordered Stanfield to turn over the contraband cell phone, at which time Stanfield attempted to destroy it. Inmates inside federal prisons are not permitted to possess cell phones, as they can compromise the safety and security of the institution by allowing inmates to have unmonitored communications with the outside community, which could provide inmates the opportunity to conduct further criminal activity.
Stanfield’s conviction for possession of a contraband cell phone also makes him ineligible to earn time credits under the First Step Act, which allows federal inmates to earn up to 365 days off of their sentence for participating in eligible programming while incarcerated.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement following sentencing by U.S. Chief District Court Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Federal Bureau of Prisons investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Brooks Storus prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00122-M-KS.
Federal Inmate Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder and Attempted Murder of Fellow Inmates at the Terre Haute Federal PenitentiaryRead the Press Release
TERRE HAUTE- Rodney Curtis Hamrick, 58, a federal inmate formerly housed at the United States Penitentiary, in the Terre Haute Federal Correctional Complex, has been sentenced to life in federal prison after pleading guilty to first degree murder and assault with intent to commit murder.
According to court documents, Rodney Hamrick, Richard Warren, and Robert Neal were all inmates housed within the Communications Management Unit of the U.S. Penitentiary at the Terre Haute, Indiana, Federal Correctional Complex. On November 10, 2018, Warren notified a prison officer that he had been stabbed and assaulted in his cell by Hamrick. Officers secured Hamrick and confiscated a homemade weapon resembling an icepick used to stab Warren.
Inside Hamrick’s cell, Officers also found inmate Robert Neal covered in a sheet with a pillowcase tied over his face and neck, his hands bound behind his back, and multiple puncture wounds in his chest. Neal had no pulse and was later confirmed by medical staff to be dead. The official autopsy noted eleven stab wounds to Neal’s chest, but the ultimate cause of death was strangulation.
In an interview with FBI agents, Hamrick admitted to planning to attack Neal and Warren in advance. Hamrick lured Neal into his cell to help with legal paperwork, then binding him and strangling him with a cord. When the cord broke, Hamrick strangled Neal to death with his bare hands. Hamrick then stabbed Neal multiple times to ensure he was dead. Neal was 68-years-old when Hamrick murdered him.
Hamrick then entered Warren’s cell and immediately attacked him, grabbing Warren from behind and stabbing him in the neck. Warren was able to escape Hamrick’s grasp and protect himself from further stabs until another inmate arrived and Hamrick left Warren’s cell.
At the time he committed these crimes, Hamrick was serving a life sentence imposed in 2007 by the Eastern District of Virginia for using a destructive device in an attempted crime of violence. This sentence was imposed following seven prior federal convictions for offenses including violent threats against public officials and federal buildings, attempted escape, and multiple offenses involving manufacturing and mailing destructive devices—some of which detonated and injured others. After Hamrick murdered Neal and attempted to murder Warren, the Bureau of Prisons transferred Hamrick from Terre Haute to the ADMAX administrative security U.S. Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado.
“It is clear from Rodney Hamrick’s lifelong pattern of violent crime, culminating the horrific attacks he perpetrated in the Terre Haute prison, that he should never live another day outside of federal prison,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “I commend the diligent work of the FBI and our federal prosecutors to hold this defendant accountable. I sincerely hope that the completion of this prosecution brings some measure of closure and peace to Mr. Neal’s family and the surviving victim.”
FBI investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James P. Hanlon.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Jayson W. McGrath and William L. McCoskey, who prosecuted this case.
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Fairfield County man sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for armed bank robberies in Athens, MariettaRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A career bank robber was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 162 months in prison for armed robberies he committed in Athens and Marietta in 2020.
William E. Johnson, 58, of Lancaster, committed armed robberies in August 2020 in Athens and October 2020 in Marietta. As part of his sentence, he will pay more than $50,000 in restitution.
According to court documents, on Aug. 17, 2020, Johnson brandished a firearm at Hocking Valley Bank on East State Street in Athens. Johnson wore a prosthetic forehead and nose, skin-toned arm sleeves/gloves, makeup and a COVID mask, all designed to disguise his appearance.
Johnson ordered employees to get on the floor and then emptied several drawers of cash. In total, he took more than $25,000. After stealing the cash, he tied the employees’ hands with zip ties. Johnson ordered the bank manager to give him the keys to the bank manager’s car and the manager complied. Johnson fled the bank in the stolen vehicle.
On Oct. 22, 2020, Johnson robbed the Citizens Bank on North Second Street in Marietta. Johnson was wearing a full-length Halloween-style mask that made him appear to be an old man and wore a red hood pulled up around his face.
Johnson possessed a gun and forced his way behind the tellers’ counter. He emptied several drawers, stealing $11,390.
At the time, Johnson had a warrant out for his arrest for a pending indictment for a bank robbery in Williamstown, West Virginia.
Law enforcement officers spotted Johnson driving in West Virginia on the evening of the Marietta bank robbery and pulled him over. Johnson attempted to flee on foot, telling officers they would have to kill him to take him into custody again. Officers tased Johnson and placed him under arrest.
Officers searched Johnson’s vehicle and located more than $9,000 in cash, a loaded handgun, zip ties and his disguises.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cincinnati Division; the Athens, Marietta, Williamstown, W.Va. and Parkersburg, W.Va. police departments; the Washington County and Wood County, W.Va. sheriff’s offices; and the West Virginia State Police announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Noah R. Litton and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.
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Ex-Federal Correction Officer Pleads Guilty to Taking Bribes in Exchange for Smuggling Contraband into Federal Jail in BrooklynRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, former federal correction officer Quandelle Joseph, formerly employed by the United States Bureau of Prisons (BOP), pleaded guilty to receiving bribes in exchange for providing contraband to individuals detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry. When sentenced, Joseph faces up to 15 years in prison. Joseph resigned from the BOP during the pendency of the case.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Ryan T. Geach, Special Agent-in-Charge, Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Region, announced the guilty plea.
According to court documents and facts presented at the guilty plea proceeding, Joseph became a correction officer at the MDC in May 2020. During his employment, Joseph accepted tens of thousands of dollars from inmates in exchange for smuggling narcotics, cigarettes, and cell phones into the MDC. In one instance, Joseph entered a unit he was not guarding during a lockdown, opened an inmate’s cell and provided him with contraband. Several hours later, MDC staff smelled marijuana in that inmate’s cell and recovered a contraband cell phone during a search of the cell; Joseph was to be paid $12,000 from this inmate for bringing in contraband. Joseph also accepted bribes to smuggle contraband into the MDC to another inmate, who then sold the contraband widely throughout his unit. Joseph also warned the inmate about upcoming contraband searches at the MDC. For example, on January 26, 2021, Joseph texted an inmate from whom he was taking bribes: “Tighten up search comin clean phones out call logs n text n try to stash it.” The next day, Joseph texted the inmate: “keep your phones cleannnnnnnnnn erase texts and call logs every night.”
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Philip Pilmar and Sara K. Winik are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
QUANDELLE JOSEPH
Age: 33
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-306 (DLI)
Eleven Members and Associates of Marion Gardens Jersey City Gang Indicted for Racketeering for Roles in Three Murders, Drug Trafficking Activities, and Other CrimesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Eleven members of the Jersey City gang associated with the Marion Gardens Housing Complex were indicted today for their roles in a violent racketeering conspiracy and a drug trafficking conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
The indictment charges Myron Williams, aka “Money,” aka “Tunchi,” 30, of Newark; Khalil Kelley, aka “Billski,” 24, of Jersey City; Herbert Thomas, 48, of Jersey City; Roger Pickett, aka “Zy Gz,” 23, of Jersey City; Andre Alomar, aka “Dre8,” 22, of Newark; Anthony Rogers, aka “MG,” 23, of Jersey City; Naim Richardson, aka “Ninicks,” 30, of Jersey City; Quaseame Wilson, aka “Qua Gz,” 27, of Jersey City; Javon Williams, aka “J45,” 26, of Jersey City; Jawaad Davis, 21, of Jersey City; and Keith Anderson, aka “Beef3,” 21, of Jersey City.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger“These charges are the most recent example of this office’s commitment to stopping violent crime in Jersey City and elsewhere in New Jersey. As we continue to demonstrate, we are tirelessly committed to working with our federal, state and local partners to bring to justice those who wreak havoc in our communities by allegedly committing senseless acts of violence. We commend the work of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office’s Gang Intelligence Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.”
“The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to utilizing all resources necessary to curb violent crime within our jurisdiction,” Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. “These indictments underscore the importance of working collaboratively with law enforcement at all levels to ensure our communities are safe for everyone. We appreciate our local, state, and federal partners for their efforts in seeing that justice is served in these matters.”
“Acts of gang violence are a grim reminder of why investigating and combatting violent crime is a top priority for ATF and our law enforcement partners,” Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller said. “These charges demonstrate our continued commitment to protecting the public, and that alleged actions like this will not be tolerated. We are dedicated to working with our local and state partners to hold violent offenders accountable and secure the safety of our communities.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Myron Williams, Kelley, Pickett, Alomar, Rogers, Richardson, Wilson, Javon Williams, Davis, and Anderson are all members and associates of the neighborhood street gang associated with the Marion Gardens Housing Complex. Since 2020, they have committed numerous acts of violence, including three separate murders, on March 29, 2021, Nov. 20, 2021, and Nov. 1, 2022.
On March 29, 2021, Kelley, Alomar, and other gang members lured a rival gang member outside by sending him Instagram messages pretending to be the victim’s fellow gang member. When the victim opened the door to his residence, Kelley and Alomar brandished firearms and Kelley shot the victim multiple times in the chest, killing him. Pickett and another gang member then picked up Kelley, Alomar, and the driver of the murder vehicle after they abandoned the murder vehicle in Newark.
On Nov. 20, 2021, Myron Williams, Pickett, and other gang members lured a rival gang member outside by sending him Instagram messages pretending to be the second victim’s fellow gang member. Myron Williams and another gang member shot the victim when he opened the door to his residence.
On Nov. 21, 2022, Davis facilitated the murder of the third victim by coordinating a narcotics transaction with the victim and an associate of the victim. When the victim and his associate arrived at the Marion Gardens Housing Complex to complete the narcotics transaction, Davis robbed the victim’s narcotics supply while Pickett and Wilson held the victim and his associate at gunpoint. After a struggle ensued, Pickett shot and killed the victim while his associate fled. Pickett and Wilson then fled the Marion Gardens Housing Complex in Pickett’s vehicle.
Investigators observed and documented hundreds of narcotics transactions in and around the Marion Gardens Housing Complex during the months-long investigation.
The investigation revealed that Thomas was the primary supplier of narcotics to the Marion Gardens drug trafficking organization. When Thomas, Myron Williams, Richardson, and Rogers, were arrested on March 17, 2023, they all possessed controlled substances packaged for distribution; Thomas also possessed a loaded firearm and both Myron Williams and Richardson possessed ammunition.
In June 2021, eight other members and associates of the Marion Gardens neighborhood street gang were indicted on racketeering charges, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited investigators of the Gang Intelligence Unit of the Major Case Division of Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez and Chief of Detectives James A. Parker, and special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked investigators of the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Director James Shea, for their assistance.
This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Grace, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Count
Defendant
Offense
Maximum Penalties
1
Myron Williams
Roger Pickett
Khalil Kelley
Quaseame Wilson
Javon Williams
Naim Richardson
Andre Alomar
Jawaad Davis
Anthony Rogers
Keith Anderson
RICO Conspiracy
Life imprisonment;
$250,000 fine
2
Roger Pickett
Quaseame Wilson
Jawaad Davis
Hobbs Act Robbery
20 years’ imprisonment;
$250,000 fine
3
Roger Pickett
Quaseame Wilson
Jawaad Davis
Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence
Life imprisonment;
10-year mandatory minimum;
$250,000 fine
4
Roger Pickett
Quaseame Wilson
Jawaad Davis
Causing Death with Use of a Firearm
Life imprisonment;
$250,000 fine
5
Myron Williams
Roger Pickett
Khalil Kelley
Quaseame Wilson
Javon Williams
Naim Richardson
Andre Alomar
Jawaad Davis
Anthony Rogers
Keith Anderson
Herbert Thomas
Drug Conspiracy
Life imprisonment;
10-year mandatory minimum;
$10 million fine
6
Myron Williams
Unlawful Possession of Ammunition
15 years’ imprisonment;
$250,000 fine
7
Myron Williams
Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances
20 years’ imprisonment;
$1 million fine
8
Herbert Thomas
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition
15 years’ imprisonment;
$250,000 fine
9
Herbert Thomas
Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances
20 years’ imprisonment;
$1 million fine
10
Herbert Thomas
Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking
Life imprisonment;
5-year mandatory minimum;
$250,000 fine
11
Naim Richardson
Unlawful Possession of Ammunition
15 years’ imprisonment;
$250,000 fine
12
Naim Richardson
Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances
20 years’ imprisonment;
$1,000,000 fine
24-014
mariongardens.sincidtment.pdfEl Paso Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking Ex-GirlfriendRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man pleaded guilty in federal court today to one count of cyberstalking.
According to court documents, Rashad Marquise Ray, 24, engaged in a course of conduct in which he sent numerous harassing messages to an out-of-state ex-girlfriend and her immediate family using several social media applications between Jan. 1, 2022 and July 26, 2023. On two occasions, FBI agents interviewed Ray and advised him to stop communicating with the victim. Following an interview with the agents in June 2023, in which he claimed he would voluntarily cease communications efforts with the victim, Ray sent approximately 200 more emails to the victim in less than one month. Ray was arrested Aug. 2, 2023 and has remained in federal custody.
Ray faces up to five years in prison with a maximum fine of $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Valenzuela is prosecuting the case.
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East Glacier man sentenced to 41 months in prison for two separate assaults on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — An East Glacier man who admitted to beating one victim and stabbing another victim in two separate assaults on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced on Jan. 10 to a total of 41 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
Frank David Francis Boy, 25, pleaded guilty in 2023 to assault with a dangerous weapon and to assault resulting in serious bodily injury for separate incidents.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
In court documents, the government alleged that in the first assault, Boy was drinking alcohol with friends in East Glacier on Sept. 18, 2022. The group then went for a drive and ended up in Browning at a house party, where the victim, identified as John Doe lived. Boy and Doe arm-wrestled and then got into a wrestling match, which led to a disagreement. Boy and his companions were told to leave, but Boy refused. Boy’s companions pulled Boy from the residence, and as they were walking away, Boy turned around and began to engage with Doe. Boy walked toward Doe, who was backing up, and stabbed Doe several times in the shoulder and back areas. Doe was flown to a Great Falls hospital for treatment of injuries.
In the second assault, the government alleged that on March 22, 2023, Boy and others were drinking alcohol and driving around when they drove toward East Glacier. The victim, identified as John Doe 2, was reclined in the front passenger seat and fell asleep. Another passenger told Boy that Doe 2 would assault her later and this may have initiated the assault on the victim. Boy stopped the vehicle in the middle of an intersection and began assaulting Doe 2, striking him repeatedly in the face and causing serious injuries. Doe 2 ultimately was flown to a Great Falls hospital for treatment of injuries.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah A. Paisley prosecuted the cases. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, FBI and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigations.
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Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More than 6 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jaime Alberto Garza, 52, of Othello, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Fentanyl. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed a sentence of 78 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information provided at sentencing, in October of 2022, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office received information that Garza was distributing large amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the community of Othello. A short time later, a search warrant was executed at Garza’s trailer. Law enforcement sized approximately 5,000 fentanyl pills, several ounces of methamphetamine, digital scales, 2 firearms, and a volume of ammunition.
Law enforcement arrested Garza during a high-risk vehicle stop and executed a search warrant on his jeep. Investigators located a loaded Colt .45 firearm that was determined to be stolen, .45 caliber ammunition, 50 fentanyl-laced pills, two plastic bags containing methamphetamine, and a bag of marijuana. Garza has a significant criminal history which included prior acts violence and drug trafficking offenses.
“Mr. Garza was trafficking a large amount of deadly fentanyl and other illegal narcotics in this small community. By partnering with state law enforcement, we were able to apprehend a dangerous and habitual offender, successfully pursue federal charges, and help make that community safer and stronger today,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “My office is committed to working with federal, state and local law enforcement to put a stop to anyone who pumps this poison into Eastern Washington.”
“The Drug Enforcement Administration is committed to confronting fentanyl traffickers wherever they may try to sell their misery and death,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Mr. Garza chose to prey on his small community and this sentence holds him accountable for these actions. We appreciate our partnership with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney as we work together to make our community safer.”
This case was investigated by The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter.
District Woman Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Sexual Abuse of a Minor and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tanisha Sadulski, 41, was sentenced in federal court on January 9 to 20 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of children and sentenced to five years for the sexual abuse of children. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.
U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates also sentenced Sadulski to a lifetime of supervised release plus an additional ten years, to run concurrently, for the child sexual abuse charges.
According to the government’s evidence, between October 25, 2021, and April 28, 2022, Sadulski repeatedly uploaded graphic images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers to her Google account. Sadulski also took pictures of a child when the victim was undressed. Additionally, she filmed herself sexually assaulting a toddler. Sadulski communicated with other sex offenders via the internet with the intent to send and receive child pornography.
She uploaded child sexual abuse material, including videos which documented the sexual abuse and exploitation of young children.
Sadulski pleaded guilty on September 13, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge Geist commended the work of those who investigated the case from FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Bond of the Federal Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Craven County Bloods Gang Member Sentenced to More than 24 Years for Fentanyl and Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
NEW BERN , N.C. – A Havelock man was sentenced today to 295 months in prison for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On October 18, 2023, Xzavier Tylon Morris pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Morris, 27, was stopped by deputies with the Craven County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) on February 1, 2022, to serve him with outstanding warrants for breaking and entering. During the traffic stop, deputies observed Morris and his passenger throw a bag out the window of their vehicle. The bag was recovered, and its contents were determined to be fentanyl. Morris was arrested for trafficking fentanyl and placed in the Craven County Detention Center.
CCSO detectives began to monitor Morris’ outgoing jail calls and discovered that he was directing co-defendants Kimberly Smith and Kayakenee Oliver to move a safe containing drugs to Oliver’s residence in Havelock. In these recorded calls, Morris, Smith, and Oliver conspired to package the drugs for re-sale to a third party in order to try to raise bond money for Morris.
CCSO detectives were able to secure a search warrant for Oliver’s residence and executed it just after midnight on February 3, 2022. During the search, detectives located a safe containing 139 grams of cocaine, 62 grams of fentanyl, 617 grams of methamphetamine, two 9mm pistols, and a digital scale.
Morris, a validated 9-3 Bloods gang member, was later interviewed and admitted that the guns and firearms in the safe belonged to him and that he had been instructing Oliver and Smith how to package the drugs for sale.
Michael Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Craven County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Webb prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-CR-61-FL-1.
Convicted Ocala Felon Makes Interstate Threat to Kill and Lies in an Attempt to Purchase A FirearmRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Michael Guy Dambrosia (61, Ocala) with interstate transmission of a threat to injure and making a false statement in connection with the attempted purchase of a firearm. If convicted on both counts, Dambrosia faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, on August 30, 2021, Dambrosia attempted to purchase a firearm from a local federally licensed firearms dealer. In completing the necessary paperwork to purchase the firearm, Dambrosia indicated that he was not a convicted felon even though he knew this to be false. Later, on January 30, 2023, Dambrosia made an interstate telephone call to the victim and left an obscenity-laden, threatening voicemail stating several times that he would kill the victim.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the United States Capitol Police - Threat Assessment Section. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joe Wheeler, III and Assistant United States Attorney Tyrie Boyer.
Colorado Woman Sentenced to more than 11 Years’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Melanie Margaret McDonald, 38, of Denver, Colorado, was sentenced January 11, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced McDonald to 135 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After McDonald’s release from prison, she will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On August 26, 2021, an Omaha traffic stop of two men resulted in the discovery of five pounds of meth and two firearms. Both men were arrested, indicted, and have since cooperated with law enforcement. Both men identified McDonald as one of the men's sources for pound quantities of methamphetamine dating back to October of 2020.
The investigation revealed Facebook messages where McDonald discussed the arrest of her co-conspirators, and all of their involvement in the drug conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Chicago Rapper "G Herbo" Sentenced for Role in Nationwide Fraud Conspiracy and Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chicago-area rap artist was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield, Mass. for participating in a nationwide wire fraud conspiracy that victimized businesses across the United States and for making a false statement to a federal agent to conceal his involvement.
Herbert Wright, 25, a/k/a “G Herbo,” was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to three years’ probation. Wright was also ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $139,968 each, as well as a $5,500 fine.
In July 2023, Wright pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a federal official.
Wright was initially indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2020 along with five co-defendants, including rap promoter Antonio Strong, in connection with the alleged fraud conspiracy. Wright was subsequently charged with making false statements in May 2021.
“On social media, Mr. Wright boasted an extravagant lifestyle. He gave the impression that his use of private jets, luxury cars and tropical villas were the legitimate fruits of his booming rap career as “G Herbo.” However, his lavish lifestyle was shamelessly built on deceit and fraud using stolen account information that inflicted substantial harm on numerous businesses, leaving a wake of victims burdened with financial losses.” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “This case should serve as a stark reminder that breaking the law leads to prosecution and accountability, regardless of who you are, how many likes you rack up or how many followers you have.”
Beginning in at least March 2017 through November 2018, Wright and, allegedly, his co-defendants, conspired to defraud numerous businesses and individuals throughout the United States by using unauthorized and stolen payment card account information of real individuals – including the actual cardholders’ names, addresses, security codes and account expiration dates. Generally, because the payment card information was authentic, the defrauded businesses and individuals successfully processed the fraudulent transactions and provided the goods and services to Wright and his alleged co-conspirators. The actual cardholders discovered these transactions on their accounts and disputed the charges with their card companies, who then charged back the transactions to the businesses and individuals, which consequently suffered losses in the amounts of the unauthorized transactions.
According to court documents, Wright frequently asked Strong for a number of luxury goods or services, such as flights, vehicles (“whips”), or accommodation (“cribs”), which Strong allegedly often procured by fraud using the stolen payment card account information. This included: four private jet charters for a total cost of over $80,000; over $34,000 in exotic car rentals including a Mercedes Benz 5560 and a Cadillac Escalade; and over $14,500 for a villa rental in Jamaica for which Wright also requested that Strong provide vehicles and an additional credit card account for his incidentals.
Wright also used fraud proceeds to travel to various concert venues and to advance his career by posting photographs and/or videos of himself on the private jets, in exotic cars and at the Jamaican villa on social media and in music videos.
Additionally, according to court documents in November 2018, Wright falsely told a federal agent that he never worked with or was assisted by Strong; he never provided Strong any money; he never received anything of value from Strong; and he had no direct relationship with Strong. In fact, since at least 2016 it is alleged that Strong worked with and assisted Wright; Wright allegedly provided Strong money; Wright allegedly received valuable goods from Strong, including private jet charters, luxury accommodations and exotic car rentals; and Wright allegedly had frequent direct contact with Strong, including phone conversations, text messages and Instagram messages.
Wright admitted, as part his guilty plea, that he was responsible for $139,878 in victim losses. Strong has pleaded not guilty.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy and Andrew Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office and Trial Attorneys Andrew Tyler and Kyle Crawford of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Nonprofit CharityRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Benjamin Cisco, 31, of Charleston, was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $871,288.34 in restitution for two counts of wire fraud. Cisco admitted to defrauding a disaster relief charity of $871,288.34 intended for suffering West Virginians.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from about March 19, 2020, through about September 28, 2022, Cisco devised and executed his scheme to defraud the charitable nonprofit organization while employed as its finance and operations manager in Belle and Charleston. Through his position, Cisco had control over the victim charity’s finances and access to its debit cards and regularly worked with its accountant. Cisco’s duties included preparing the victim charity’s biweekly payroll, depositing payments into its bank accounts, and providing its board of directors with updates regarding its finances.
Cisco admitted that his fraud scheme followed a two-step process. First, Cisco electronically transferred money from the victim charity’s debit cards to its account with the Flipcause crowd-funding platform, which recorded those transfers as donations. Second, Cisco electronically transferred money from the victim charity’s Flipcause account to his personal bank account, which he had falsely labeled as belonging to the victim charity.
Cisco admitted to executing the fraudulent two-step process more than 100 times. These fraudulent transactions included electronic transfers from the victim charity’s Flipcause account to his personal bank account in the amounts of $4,724 on January 28, 2022, and $2,874 on May 6, 2022. Both transfers traveled in interstate commerce between Charleston, West Virginia, and California.
Well-meaning individuals, seeking to assist the disaster relief charity, used the Flipcause portal to donate $3,861.94 to the victim charity. Cisco pocketed nearly all of those donated funds. The Court found that Cisco misrepresented acting on behalf of a charity during his scheme, citing that as a factor in today’s sentence.
Cisco’s fraudulent scheme specifically caused at least $518,101.70 of loss to the victim charity. Cisco also admitted to defrauding the victim charity of an additional $285,626.64 in travel reimbursements he was not authorized to receive and $67,560 by purchasing gift cards with victim charity funds without authorization. The loss totaled $871,288.34.
Cisco’s criminal conduct besmirched the reputation of the disaster relief charity, threatening to erode public trust and discourage potential donors. The discovery of Cisco’s scheme prompted the victim charity to put its operations on hold, pausing the replacement of eight bridges destroyed by flooding in southern West Virginia that provided families access to their homes.
“After spending six years with the victim charity, Mr. Cisco knew the real-life consequences of disaster but still chose to misspend the victim charity’s money on personal expenses, household items, Lowe’s gift cards, and luxurious vacations to Disney World,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “Mr. Cisco’s actions personified greed and the Court acknowledged that by giving him a sentence at the upper limit of the sentencing guidelines.”
Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“Today Mr. Cisco faced the consequences of his illegal actions,” said FBI Pittsburgh Acting Special Agent in Charge Mike Shanahan. “Mr. Cisco diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars meant to help struggling West Virginians impacted by disaster for his own personal gain. Today's sentence sends the message that he can't escape accountability for his actions.”
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Holly Wilson, and Erik S. Goes, and Kathleen Robeson prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-25.
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Chaparral Man Sentenced to 90 months in Prison for Hostage TakingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, John Morales, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s El Paso Field Office, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Ricardo Arce, III was sentenced to 90 months in prison. Arce, 44, of Chaparral, New Mexico, pled guilty in federal court on Sept. 22, 2021, to conspiracy to take a hostage and two counts of hostage taking.
In his plea agreement, Arce admitted to conspiring with his co-defendants, Jonathan Matthew Gonzalez and Vicki Sowell, to take two foreign nationals’ hostage. Gonzalez transported the hostages to Arce’s residence in Chaparral, took their phones and wallets, and told them they were not allowed to leave unless their families paid money to secure their release. While held against their will, Gonzalez assaulted both of the hostages. Arce recorded videos of Gonzalez assaulting one of the hostages while Sowell turned up music to cover the sounds of the beating. Gonzalez sent the videos to the hostage’s family along with a demand for money. Gonzalez threatened to kill the hostages if they did not pay the ransom.
Family and friends of the hostages paid nearly $20,000 in an attempt to secure their release. Gonzales paid Arce and Sowell to house and watch the hostages.
Upon his release from prison, Arce will be subject to 5 years of supervised release.
Gonzalez pled guilty to conspiracy to take a hostage and two counts of hostage taking on March 18, 2022, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Sowell was convicted of conspiracy to take a hostage and two counts of hostage taking and sentenced to 32 months in prison.
The FBI El Paso Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the FBI Las Cruces Resident Agency, El Paso Police Department, Las Cruces Police Department, Otero County Sheriff's Office, Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector and Border Patrol El Paso Sector Special Operations Detachment BORTAC. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Ramirez is prosecuting the case.
View the Indictment View the Plea Agreement# # #
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Canal Winchester man convicted at trial of drug, gun, fraud crimesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal jury has convicted Thomas O. Crowell, 35, of Canal Winchester, with narcotics, firearms and fraud crimes.
The verdict was announced today following a trial that began on Jan. 8 before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.
According to court documents and trial testimony, Crowell, who is also known as “T-Mack,” possessed with the intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana in June 2021. He illegally possessed firearms at the time, namely, a rifle and a Glock. Crowell is a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Crowell was also convicted of wire fraud for fraudulently obtaining COVID-relief Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding by falsely claiming to own a trucking business called “Thomas Crowell.” In April 2021, Crowell applied for the PPP loan and received nearly $20,000.
Possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana carries a potential punishment of at least five years and up to life in prison. Illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Congress sets the minimum and maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; and Hilliard Police Chief Michael Woods announced today’s verdict. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Pakiz and Damoun Delaviz are representing the United States in this case.
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California Man Caught at Tampa International Airport Pleads Guilty to Transporting 60 Kilograms of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Hernan Cruz-Moreno (24, Earlimart, California) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Cruz-Moreno faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, on May 2, 2023, Cruz-Moreno and Agustin Ortiz-Sanchez (22, Thermal, CA) flew from Los Angeles, California to Tampa International Airport with four suitcases containing a total of 60 kilograms of methamphetamine. Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and officers from the Tampa International Airport Police Department examined the luggage in a secure area of the airport, and a narcotics detection dog indicated there were drugs in the bags. Cruz-Moreno and Sanchez-Ortiz later retrieved the bags and were arrested by officers conducting surveillance. Cruz-Moreno admitted that he had been paid $2,000 by another individual to transport the luggage and stated at the time that he didn’t know what was in the bags, but he knew it was something illegal.
In November 2023, Ortiz-Sanchez pleaded guilty to same offense. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 27, 2024.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the Tampa International Airport Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs Jr.
Brooklyn Woman Charged with Trafficking 18 Firearms into BrooklynRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, a five-count indictment was unsealed charging Ariana Charles with conspiring to illegally traffic 18 firearms to Brooklyn. The defendant is charged under the gun trafficking provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress and the President enacted in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target gun trafficking. Charles is also charged with three narcotics-related charges, including distribution of fentanyl and cocaine base, and a conspiracy to do the same. The defendant was arrested this morning and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Marutollo.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino, III, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the charges.
“As alleged, the defendant brazenly trafficked firearms and deadly drugs to the streets of Brooklyn, feeding the cycle of gun violence and drug abuse endangering our community,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office will not relent in its efforts to keep the community safe by investigating and prosecuting those who seek to profit from the proliferation of guns and fentanyl which have destroyed so many lives.”
“DEA and our law enforcement partners work to stop the invasion of guns, drugs and violence that invade our neighborhoods causing unimaginable casualties along the way,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Taremtino. “This indictment reinforces our commitment to saving lives through comprehensive investigations at the behest of public safety and health. I commend the DEA New York Division, New York City Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York for their work throughout this investigation.”
“Today’s indictment underscores the destructive threat that illegal guns and drugs continue to pose on the streets of New York City, as well as our unwavering commitment to delivering public safety and improving quality of life in every community,” stated NYPD Commissioner Caban. “Together with our partners at the DEA and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, NYPD investigators remain dedicated to this critical mission.”
According to the indictment and court documents, Charles personally conducted firearms sales to an undercover member of law enforcement (the UC) in and around New York City Housing Authority’s Breukelen Houses which is located in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Transactions also took place outside apartment buildings and in shopping center parking lots in broad daylight. Several guns were purchased in Virginia and Georgia and transported to New York. The UC told Charles and her co-conspirators that he was a drug dealer who needed guns and that he was going to resell some of the guns and drugs that were provided to him. For example, messages between the UC and Charles show that the UC told Charles that he intended to “flip” the firearms Charles sold him so that he could resell them to others. One firearm sold had a defaced serial number, making it hard for law enforcement to trace. Charles also sold semi-automatic rifles.
In addition to firearm sales, Charles sold drugs, including crack cocaine and fentanyl. The fentanyl allegedly sold by the defendant was disguised as Oxycodone pills.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the charges, Charles faces up to 20 years in prison.
Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Amir, Irisa Chen, and James Simmons are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
ARIANA CHARLES
Age: 28
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-8
Brevard County Man Indicted for Possessing Cocaine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Jackie Jamal Hines (46, Melbourne) with possession with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine. If convicted, Hines faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Hines that the United States intends to forfeit any assets which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Melbourne Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.
Bemidji Man Charged with Sexual Assault on Red Lake ReservationRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Bemidji man has been charged with sexual assault on the Red Lake Reservation, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, Brent Lee Sigana, Jr., 25, knowingly engaged in a sexual act with a victim who at the time was physically incapable of declining participation in the act or communicating unwillingness to engage in the act.
The indictment charges Sigana with one count of sexual abuse of a person incapable of consenting. Federal courts have recognized that this law includes sex acts with individuals who are “physically incapable” of declining or communicating unwillingness due to being asleep or as a result of intoxication. Sigana made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on January 5, 2024, before Magistrate Judge Jon T. Huseby.
Investigators believe there may be other victims relevant to this investigation. If you have any information about other potential victims, please contact the FBI’s Tip Line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Red Lake Tribal Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Middlecamp is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bay Area Men Plead Guilty to Bribing a Vallejo City OfficialRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Steven Chu, 41, of San Bruno, and Ben Guan, 36, of San Francisco, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Chu and Guan ran an illegal marijuana cultivation operation in Vallejo. In July 2020, Chu and Guan were notified that the building in which they maintained the operation was in violation of multiple laws, including city codes related to illegal drug activity, and that the city would take legal or administrative action if the violations were not corrected. Subsequently, Chu and Guan offered to pay and then paid a Vallejo building inspector to clear the violations and ensure the city would not interfere with their operation. Chu and Guan paid the building inspector on at least six occasions. The payments totaled approximately $27,000. Unbeknownst to Chu and Guan, the building inspector was working with law enforcement to record meetings with them.
This case is a product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Thuesen is prosecuting the case.
U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta is scheduled to sentence Chu and Guan on May 2, 2024. They face a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the court’s discretion after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Ardmore Resident Sentenced for Abusive Sexual Contact of A ChildRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dustin Wayne Hayes, age 41, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, was sentenced for sexually abusing four children under the age of 12. Hayes was sentenced to 20 years in prison for one count of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2244(a)(5), 2246(3), 1151, and 1152. Following his term of imprisonment, Hayes will be placed on a life-time term of supervised release and required to register as a sex offender.
The charges arose from investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Oklahoma City and Ardmore Field Offices, the Ardmore Police Department, Sara’s Project, and the Carter County District Attorney’s Office.
On November 22, 2022, Hayes pleaded guilty to knowingly engaging and causing sexual contact with a child under the age of 12. According to court documents, Hayes repeatedly sexually abused four young children beginning as early as 2009 and continuing through 2014. The child victims, who were as young as five and six years old when the abuse began, came forward and provided critical evidence and information to law enforcement regarding the sexual abuse.
The crime occurred in Carter County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings in Muskogee. Hayes will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Special Assistant United States Attorneys Jenna Rudoff (Dallas, TX) and Callie Woolam (Lubbock, TX) represented the United States.
Wednesday 10 January 2024
Waterloo Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A Waterloo man who distributed significant quantities of methamphetamine was sentenced on January 5, 2024, to 30 years in federal prison.
Jeffery Turner, age 48, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 28, 2023 jury verdict finding him guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of distribution of methamphetamine.
Evidence at trial showed that, between 2020 and 2022, Turner obtained approximately twenty pounds of methamphetamine from three different sources — a source in Waterloo, who in turn was obtaining methamphetamine from a Mexican source; a source in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and a source in California. On two occasions in 2022, law enforcement conduced controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Turner.
Turner was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Turner was sentenced to 360 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a five‑year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Turner is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Adam J. Vander Stoep, Patrick J. Reinert, and Dillan Edwards and investigated by Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force consisting of the Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Department; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22‑CR‑02059‑CJW.
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Waterbury Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Theft of Pandemic Unemployment BenefitsRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that OLAJUWON HARRINGTON, also known as “OJ Harrington,” 31, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for his theft of pandemic unemployment benefits.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) was signed into law. The CARES Act created a new temporary federal unemployment insurance program for pandemic unemployment assistance (“Pandemic Unemployment Assistance”). Pandemic Unemployment Assistance provided unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits for employed individuals who are not eligible for other types of UI due to their employment status. The CARES Act also created a new temporary federal program called Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (“FPUC”) that provided additional weekly benefits to those eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or regular UI. The Connecticut Department of Labor (CT-DOL) administers UI benefits for residents of Connecticut.
Numerous fraudulent applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which used identifying information of real persons (“victims”) without their knowledge, were submitted to CT-DOL. Relying on the applications, CT-DOL awarded unemployment assistance in the form of debit cards in the names of approximately 43 victims and mailed the debit cards to addresses provided in the applications. Over an approximately 20-month period, Harrington obtained those debit cards issued in victims’ names and unlawfully used the cards for his own benefit.
Judge Williams ordered Harrington to pay restitution of $793,254.
Harrington was arrested on a criminal complaint on November 30, 2022. On May 10, 2023, he pleaded guilty to access device fraud.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General; and the Connecticut Department of Labor. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
Individuals with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Washington Parish Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Narcotics and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –TYLAR REDDITT, age 22, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana, pled guilty on January 9, 2024, to a two-count indictment charging him with violations of the Federal Gun Control and the Federal Controlled Substances Acts, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, REDDITT conspired to distribute heroin and to use and possess firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities. Both counts carry a sentence of up to twenty (20) years in prison, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. Additionally, the drug violation carries a possible fine of up to $1,000,000 and the gun violation carries a possible fine of up to $250,000.00.
According to public records, agents were able to obtain numerous social media photographs of REDDITT posing with firearms, drugs and cash. REDDITT also participated in a non-fatal retaliatory shooting on July 27, 2022, shortly after Javorious Scott, a local rapper, was murdered in Bogalusa.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Bogalusa Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr of the Narcotics Unit.
United States and California Announce Diesel Engine Manufacturer Cummins Inc. Agrees to Pay a Record $1.675 Billion Civil Penalty in Vehicle Test Cheating SettlementRead the Press Release
The Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Air Resources Board (CARB) and California Attorney General’s Office today released the details of a proposed settlement with diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and California law. Beyond agreeing to pay a $1.675 billion civil penalty – the largest ever assessed in a Clean Air Act case – Cummins has agreed to spend more than $325 million to remedy the violations, which included the use of software “defeat devices” that circumvented emissions testing and certification requirements.
Under the settlement, Cummins must complete a nationwide vehicle recall to repair and replace the engine control software in more than 600,000 RAM 2500 and RAM 3500 pickup trucks equipped with the company’s diesel engines. Cummins will also extend the warranty period for certain parts in the repaired vehicles, fund and perform projects to mitigate excess ozone-creating nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted from the vehicles and employ new internal procedures designed to prevent future emissions cheating. In total, the settlement is valued at more than $2 billion.
NOx pollution contributes to the formation of harmful smog and fine particulate matter in air. Children, older adults, people who are active outdoors and people with heart or lung diseases are particularly at risk for health effects related to smog or particulate matter exposure. Nitrogen dioxide formed by NOx emissions can aggravate respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, and may also contribute to asthma development in children.
“The Justice Department is committed to vigorously enforcing environmental laws that protect the American people from harmful pollutants,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The types of devices we allege that Cummins installed in its engines to cheat federal environmental laws have a significant and harmful impact on people’s health and safety. This historic agreement makes clear that the Justice Department will be aggressive in its efforts to hold accountable those who seek to profit at the expense of people’s health and safety.”
“Today’s agreement, which includes the largest-ever Clean Air Act civil penalty, stands as notice to manufacturers that they must comply with our nation’s laws, which protect human health and the health of our environment,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “We appreciate the work of our partners, the EPA and the State of California, in helping us reach this significant settlement.”
“Today’s landmark settlement is another example of the Biden-Harris administration working to ensure communities across the United States, especially those that have long been overburdened by pollution, are breathing cleaner air,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “Today we‘ve reaffirmed that EPA’s enforcement program will hold companies accountable for cheating to evade laws that protect public health.”
“Cummins installed illegal defeat devices on more than 600,000 RAM pickup trucks, which exposed overburdened communities across America to harmful air pollution,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “This record-breaking Clean Air Act penalty demonstrates that EPA is committed to holding polluters accountable and ensuring that companies pay a steep price when they break the law.”
“Cummins knowingly harmed people’s health and our environment when they skirted state emissions tests and requirements,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Today’s settlement sends a clear message: If you break the law, we will hold you accountable. I want to thank our federal and state partners for their collective work on this settlement that will safeguard public health and protect consumers across the country.”
“The collaboration between California and its federal partners makes it clear that companies will be held accountable for violating essential environmental laws that are in place to provide the clean air that communities across California and the nation want and deserve,” said CARB Executive Officer Dr. Steven Cliff. “California’s air quality regulations protect public health and are backed by a world-class emissions testing laboratory that ensures CARB’s enforcement efforts are rigorously supported with data and science, which CARB was pleased to contribute to this landmark case.”
Background
As in prior cases against other manufacturers, EPA discovered defeat devices in Cummins engines used in RAM pickup trucks through testing at the agency’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory. That testing of RAM trucks was done as follow-up on a 2015 EPA warning to manufacturers that the agency planned to conduct special testing to identify defeat devices using driving cycles and conditions that were non-standard, but still reflected normal vehicle operation and use.
The terms of the proposed settlement with Cummins are spelled out in two consent decrees that the United States and California filed today with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In a related set of complaints filed today, the United States and California allege that nearly a million model year 2013-2023 RAM 2500 and RAM 3500 pickup trucks with Cummins diesel engines utilized undisclosed engine control software features, and more than 630,000 of those trucks made in model years 2013-2019 had illegal emissions control software defeat device features. Those software defeat devices helped the trucks pass standard EPA emissions tests, but they artificially reduced the effectiveness of the emission controls – and increased NOx emissions – during normal driving outside of the standard test conditions.
Recall and Repair Program
Cummins sought all EPA and CARB emission certifications for the RAM trucks equipped with its engines, even though the trucks were sold by the RAM truck division of Fiat Chrysler and its dealers. The settlement requires Cummins to work with Fiat Chrysler and its dealers on a vehicle recall and repair program that will remove all defeat devices from the affected 2013-2019 RAM trucks free of charge and bring the vehicles into compliance with applicable emissions standards under the Clean Air Act. The repair only involves software updates. Cummins has already started the recall and repair program required by the settlement.
Cummins must repair at least 85% of the 2013-2019 RAM trucks equipped with defeat devices within three years. The company must offer a special extended warranty covering emission control system parts on 2013-2019 RAM trucks that receive the replacement software. Cummins also must test some of the repaired trucks over a number of years to ensure that the trucks continue to meet emissions standards over time.
Mitigation Programs
As another requirement of the settlement, Cummins must fully offset the excess NOx emissions from the 2013-2019 RAM trucks that were equipped with defeat devices. For California, Cummins will make a lump sum payment to CARB of slightly more than $175 million to fund mitigation actions or projects that reduce NOx emissions in California through CARB mitigation programs. For the rest of the country, Cummins will secure offsetting NOx reductions by working with railroad locomotive owners on two types of locomotive emission reduction projects. First, Cummins will finance and ensure the replacement of 27 old, high-emitting diesel locomotive engines with new, low-emitting diesel or electric engines. Second, Cummins will fund and complete 50 projects that will reduce idling time for diesel-powered switch locomotives to reduce fuel usage and emissions of NOx, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide.
Public Information and Public Comment
This EPA website offers additional information concerning the settlement:
https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/2024-cummins-inc-vehicle-emission-control-violations-settlement
The complaints and the proposed consent decrees in the related cases filed by the Justice Department’s Environment Enforcement Section and the State of California can be viewed on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees. The proposed consent decree in the case filed by the United States is subject to a 30-day public comment period.
U.S. Marshals Arrest More Than 73,000 Fugitives in Fiscal Year 2023Read the Press Release
The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) arrested 73,362 fugitives (28,065 on federal and 45,297 on state and local warrants) in fiscal year (FY) 2023. On average, the agency arrested 293 fugitives per day (based on 250 operational days).
“The Justice Department is laser-focused on driving down violent crime by using data and intelligence to go after the individuals most responsible for it,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “By arresting the nation’s most violent fugitives in communities with the highest violent crime rates, the U.S. Marshals Service is making our communities safer.”
“I am proud of the dedication displayed by the men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service, whose efforts continue to drive our mission forward,” said USMS Director Ronald Davis. “I cannot underscore enough, the importance of our partnerships with our state, local, federal, Tribal, and international agencies who are pivotal in accomplishing our collective achievements.”
FY 2023 Arrest Statistics:
- Sex offenders – 10,088 (Sex offenses include sexual assault, failure to register/noncompliance with the national sex offender registry, and other offenses.)
- Gang members – 3,496
- Homicide suspects – 5,447
- International/foreign fugitives – 1,487 (A foreign fugitive is wanted by a foreign nation and believed to be in the United States.)
- Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program fugitives – 1,051 (OCDETF cases combine the resources and expertise of numerous federal agencies to target drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.)
- Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (AWA) violations – 287 (AWA categorizes sex offenders into a three-tiered system based on the crime committed and requires offenders to maintain their registration information accordingly. For example, Tier 3 offenders – the most serious – must update their whereabouts every three months with lifetime registration requirements.)
- “15 Most Wanted” fugitives – four
The USMS seized more than 4,731 firearms during numerous violence reduction and counter gang operations in FY 2023.
The total warrants cleared by USMS arrest: 86,388[1]
- State and local warrants – 57,280
- Federal warrants – 29,108
Major Operations
In January 2023, the USMS conducted Operation North Star II (ONS II), a 30-day initiative resulting in the arrest of 833 fugitives, violent criminals, sex offenders, and self-identified gang members in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Buffalo, New York; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Jackson, Mississippi; Kansas City, Missouri; Milwaukee; Oakland, California; and Puerto Rico. USMS used its broad arrest authority and network of task forces to arrest individuals wanted on charges including 95 for homicide and 68 for sexual assault. In addition, investigators seized 181 firearms, more than $229,000 in currency, and more than 160 kilograms of illegal narcotics.
From March to May 2023, the USMS, along with state and local agencies in 16 federal judicial districts and geographical locations across the United States, led a 10-week national operation that resulted in the recovery or safe location of 225 endangered missing children, which includes runaways and those abducted by non-custodial persons. Operation We Will Find You was a nationwide missing child operation focused on geographical areas with high clusters of critically missing children. With technical assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Operation We Will Find You resulted in the recovery of 169 children and the safe location of 56 children.
During the summer of 2023, the USMS conducted Operation North Star III (ONS III), arresting 4,455 fugitives. The operation targeted violent offenders in 20 cities and resulted in the clearance of 2,818 violent warrants, to include homicide, forcible sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and firearms violations. During this three-month enforcement effort, investigators also seized 555 firearms, more than $1 million in U.S. currency, and 85 kilograms of illegal narcotics. The primary jurisdictions of ONS III were Albuquerque, New Mexico; Baltimore; Buffalo, New York; Chicago; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Houston; Indianapolis; Jackson, Mississippi; Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee; New Orleans; New York; Oakland, California; Philadelphia; Puerto Rico; and Washington, D.C.
The USMS Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, District of Maryland, and Task Force partners conducted a large-scale, multi-agency law enforcement operation focused on apprehending violent fugitives and wanted gang members throughout the month of May 2023, arresting dozens of violent offenders throughout Maryland. Operation Washout resulted in a total of 95 fugitive arrests, including 17 suspects wanted for homicide, 16 wanted for attempted homicide, 19 wanted for robbery, and seven wanted for weapon-related offenses. Six validated gang members were among those arrested. Additionally, law enforcement seized 10 firearms, 72 pounds of marijuana, 78 grams of crack cocaine, six grams of heroin, and $3,200 in currency.
Notable Arrests in FY 2023
On Jan. 13, 2023, Michael Anthony Baltimore, 44, a fugitive on the USMS 15 Most Wanted list was arrested in Broward County, Florida, after he fled the scene of a bar fight. Baltimore was wanted by the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Police Department and the USMS in the Middle District of Pennsylvania for homicide, assault, and parole violation charges. Baltimore is alleged to have shot to death Kendell Jerome Cook and injured another man at the GQ Barbershop on North Hanover Street in Carlisle on May 22, 2021.
On Aug. 13, 2023, USMS personnel assisted in the manhunt and capture of Danilo Cavalcante, 34, who had escaped from a Pennsylvania prison days after being sentenced to life in prison without parole in the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend. The manhunt went on for 14 days until he was caught near South Coventry Township, Pennsylvania.
On Aug. 29, 2023, the USMS, along with West Virginia State Police, Lewisburg Police Department, and Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Samuel Paul Hartman, 39, in Lewisburg, West Virginia. Hartman had escaped from an Arkansas prison facility in 2022, after being sentenced to life in prison in 2013 for sexually assaulting his 14-year-old stepdaughter. He escaped on a work detail in a field near the detention facility. Also taken into custody were Hartman’s wife, Misty Hartman, 39, his mother, Linda Annette White, 61, and White’s boyfriend, Rodney Trent, 52, of Lester, West Virginia. Both women are alleged to have helped Hartman escape using a pickup truck and jet skis. Trent faces felony charges for allegedly harboring a sex offender and for assisting the trio while on the run.
On May 10, 2023, the USMS-led Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested Cherie Goss, 42, on charges of attempted first-degree murder. Goss was wanted by the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after charges were filed against her in early April. The USMS was able to track her to Stark County, Ohio, where she was arrested.
On Sept. 27, 2023, the USMS arrested Jason Billingsley, 32, a suspect in the murder of tech CEO Pava LaPere, 26. Billingsley, a convicted felon and registered sex offender, was taken into custody near Bowie, Maryland, with the assistance of local law enforcement agencies.
On Sept. 27, 2023, the USMS North Star Fugitive Task Force, Dakota County Sheriff’s SWAT, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections arrested Kevin Lamarr Mason, 28, after he had been erroneously released from the Marion County Jail in Indiana on Sept. 13 on a clerical mistake. The prisoner release created a massive manhunt stretching nationwide and eventually back to where he was wanted in Minnesota.
Finding Missing Children
In FY 2023, the USMS assisted in the location or recovery of 495 missing children. Since the passage of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, the USMS has contributed to the location or recovery of more than 3,248 missing children.
Additional information about the USMS can be found at www.usmarshals.gov.
[1] The number of warrants cleared nearly always exceeds the number of arrests in a given year because fugitives are often wanted on numerous warrants, and a single arrest can clear them all at once.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Combats Human Trafficking in Recognition of Human Trafficking Prevention MonthRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — In recognition of National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina affirms its continued commitment to work with federal, state, and local partners to combat human trafficking in all its forms.
“As we recognize Human Trafficking Awareness Month, we honor the courageous survivors, we mourn the victims, many whose names we will never know, and we remain relentless in our pursuit of traffickers who exploit them,” said United States Attorney Adair F. Boroughs. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office – along with our law enforcement partners – will continue our fight to end human trafficking in South Carolina.”
Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons, is a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts. The coercion can be subtle or overt, physical or psychological. Exploitation of a minor for commercial sex is human trafficking, regardless of whether any form of force, fraud, or coercion was used.
In the past year, the United States Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of its law enforcement partners, prosecuted the following noteworthy cases:
US v. Eric Rashun Jones Eric Jones, of Newberry, and Brittany Cromer, of Greenville both await sentencing following guilty pleas for Human Trafficking Conspiracy and other charges. Jones recruited vulnerable victims and forced them into commercial sex work for his own financial gain. Jones, aided by Cromer, physically assaulted victims, including breaking one victim’s orbital socket. Jones was convicted in June 2023 and Cromer was convicted in Jan. 2024.
US v. Elizabeth Balcazar, et al. Enrique Balcazar and Elizabeth Balcazar, both of Batesburg, were sentenced to federal prison for labor trafficking, confiscating passports in connection with labor trafficking, and fraud in foreign labor contracting. They recruited 55 Mexican nationals to work at their agricultural company, confiscated their passports and visas, then failed to pay promised wages. Enrique used force and coercion to keep workers with his company, including by threatening deportation, brandishing and discharging firearms, failing to provide medical care, placing locks on the outside of the facility where workers slept, and by posting armed guards at the camp facility.
US v. Aaron Simmons A Greenville man was convicted of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and one count of sex trafficking of a minor after compelling one adult and one minor victim to engage in commercial sex acts. Simmons is awaiting sentencing.
US v. Cedrick Riley Cedrick Riley and Earl Caldwell were sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for their involvement in the sex trafficking of a minor. Caldwell spent at least $45,000 to purchase sex from the minor and supply the victim with clothing, drugs, and hotel rooms. Jessica Mills was also sentenced for her involvement in the conspiracy.
US v. Brian Leroy Watson A Blythewood man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Minor and Distribution of Heroin. Watson trafficked at least nine victims, including one minor, into the commercial sex trade. Watson frequently used physical violence against his victims, manipulated their drug addiction and withdrawal symptoms, and confiscated monetary proceeds from them. Watson was assisted at times by Ryan Grover, of Barnwell, who pleaded guilty to Human Trafficking Conspiracy and was sentenced to three years in federal prison.
Watch U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs’ call to raise awareness and learn more about combatting human trafficking in your community on our Facebook page. Join the U.S. Attorney’s Office and advocates across the country for #WearBlueDay tomorrow, Jan. 11, to honor human trafficking survivors during Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
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U.S. Attorney Williams Announces Enforcement Priorities and SDNY Whistleblower Pilot ProgramRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today SDNY’s criminal enforcement priorities for 2024. In addition, U.S. Attorney Williams announced the creation of a Whistleblower Pilot Program designed to proactively uncover criminal conduct in the District. A copy of the Whistleblower Pilot Program is attached to this press release and is available here on the SDNY website.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:
“When I was sworn in as U.S. Attorney in 2021, I announced three co-equal priorities for my tenure. First, I pledged that we would do everything possible to protect the people of this District from violent crime. Second, I promised that we would be equally relentless in rooting out corruption in our financial markets. And third, I promised to better connect with the communities we serve and to do more through enhanced civil rights enforcement to push back on the forces of hate that are on the march. Fast forward to 2024 and these priorities are as urgent today as they were at the start of my tenure. But SDNY, as always, continues to evolve – and be nimble – to meet new threats to the people of this District. That’s why I am announcing that, in addition to these three priorities, SDNY will add two more for 2024: fighting the fentanyl epidemic and public corruption.
The Fight Against Fentanyl
Fentanyl continues to inflict too much harm on too many people. This Office has sought to and will continue to fight the problem on all levels. We have brought groundbreaking charges against the leadership of the Sinaloa cartel and against some of the Chinese precursor chemical companies that fuel the cartels. But even as we address the criminal networks that fuel the epidemic, we are also focused on addressing the devastation fentanyl brings to everyday people here in this District. For instance, we brought a heartbreaking case involving the overdose death of a baby at a daycare center in the Bronx – a case that truly shocked the conscience of this city. Our work is far from done. In 2024, SDNY will continue to attack the fentanyl epidemic in a comprehensive way – from root to branch.
The Fight Against Public Corruption
SDNY remains committed to aggressively rooting out corruption in our financial markets. But, in this District, corruption doesn’t just pollute our financial markets, it also pollutes our politics and our public institutions. It’s time to clean it up. This Office has a long tradition of bringing complex public corruption cases. We’re going to continue that focus in 2024. We will proceed without fear or favor, and without any regard to partisan politics. That’s in our DNA.
SDNY Whistleblower Pilot Program
This Office is always looking for new ways to enhance our effectiveness and stay ahead of the curve. We are pleased to announce a new tool in our toolkit that will enhance our 2024 enforcement efforts: SDNY’s Whistleblower Pilot Program. The program encourages early and voluntary self-disclosure of criminal conduct by individual participants in certain non-violent offenses. In exchange for self-disclosure and cooperation against others involved in the criminal conduct, SDNY will enter into a non-prosecution agreement where certain specified conditions are met, including, importantly, the condition that the Government was not previously aware of the criminal conduct that is the subject of the disclosure. By providing clarity on the requirements and the benefits of such self-disclosure, we seek to incentivize individuals and their counsel to provide actionable and timely information. That will, in turn, help us bring more misconduct to light and better protect the communities we serve. We encourage people who qualify for the Whistleblower Pilot Program to take advantage of the opportunity to come clean, cooperate, and get on the right side of the law. Our message to the world remains: Call us before we call you."
U.S. Attorney Hosts Meeting to Support the Alliance to Combat Transnational ThreatsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – On Monday, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, Gary M. Restaino, hosted an Advisory Board to discuss the unique challenges faced by law enforcement operating along the State’s southern border. In attendance were key officials from the Tohono O’odham Police Department, Phoenix Police Department, Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, Cochise County Attorney’s Office, Pima County Attorney’s Office, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, United States Border Patrol, the Arizona Department of Homeland Security, and the United States Attorney’s Office.
The Unified Border Command – formally known as the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats (“ACTT”) – is a collaborative initiative aimed at fostering coordination, information-sharing, policy development, and strategic planning among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies operating along the U.S. – Mexico border. Arizona’s Alliance was formed in 2011, and its members currently include border Sheriffs, the Arizona Attorney General, the Department of Public Safety, the Arizona High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (“HIDTA”), and federal law enforcement partners. The dangers and complexities of border security require a unified approach. To that end, the ACTT bylaws establish an additional Advisory Board of state and local law enforcement agencies, coordinated by the United States Attorney.
The Unified Command Advisory Board is committed to supporting ACTT in its mission of safeguarding our borders and protecting the communities served, and to providing operational guidance and input via stakeholders from around the State.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-003_Unified Command Advisory Board
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Two Washington, PA Residents Sentenced for Convictions of Conspiracy to Defraud the United StatesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - Two residents of Washington, PA, have been sentenced in federal court on their convictions of conspiracy to defraud the United States, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy imposed a sentence of 3 years' probation on Julia Jolly, age 37, and a sentence of 3 years' probation on Ethan Gordon, age 30, both of Washington, PA, with joint restitution of $61,852.
According to information presented to the court, Gordon and Jolly agreed to submit false Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan applications (COVID-19 pandemic relief loans administered by the Small Business Administration). One false application was submitted in Gordon’s name, and one in Jolly’s name, resulting in a combined loss of over $60,000 to the government.
Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory C. Melucci and William B. Guappone prosecuted these cases on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Jolly and Gordon.
Threat Made to Police about Possible Mass Shooting Leads to Federal Prison Sentence for Local ManRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. – Kenneth Allen Moody, 33, originally of Hot Springs, Arkansas, was sentenced yesterday for making threats, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. Moody was sentenced by United States District Judge Dee D. Drell to 18 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment on August 24, 2022, charging Moody with one count of interstate communication of a threat as the result of a threatening phone call he made in July 2022 to the Vidalia Police Department (“VPD”). In the phone call, Moody, who was living in Vidalia, Louisiana, at the time of the incident, stated that he wanted to turn himself in because of what he was going to do. When asked what he was planning, Moody told the VPD dispatcher that he was going to possibly perform a mass shooting at the Natchez High School in Mississippi. Moody told the dispatcher that he had been planning the shooting for months and had loaded automatic weapons. VPD was able to locate the cellular device he had used to make the call to them and traced it to a device in Hot Springs, Arkansas with subscriber information belonging to Moody. At the time of the call, Moody was living in the Vidalia, Louisiana area. He admitted to making the call to VPD with the intent to make a threat or with knowledge that the communication would be viewed as a threat.
The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and Vidalia Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tennille M. Gilreath.
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Systems Engineer Pleads Guilty to Embezzling from Houma-Based CompanyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on, January 4, 2024, SCOTT P. RICHARD, age 47, of Raceland, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon to access device fraud in relation to his theft from his former employer, a Houma-based company identified in court records as “Company A”.
According to those records, RICHARD was a systems engineer for Company A, entrusted with the specification, purchase, installation, and support of equipment and systems used by the company’s technology infrastructure. RICHARD admitted to fraudulently using the corporate credit card issued to him by Company A for his own personal benefit. RICHARD embezzled money from his employer by creating false invoices for a shell company he controlled, and using his corporate card to make fraudulent purchases from the shell company. RICHARD also made unauthorized purchases of equipment, for his own personal use, with his corporate card. From January 1, 2012 through September 27, 2021, RICHARD fraudulently diverted $526,569.42 from Company A to himself.
RICHARD faces up to 10 years in prison, up to a $250,000.00 fine or the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss, up to three years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Judge Fallon set RICHARD’s sentencing for April 11, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Orleans Field Office, in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Starkville man sentenced for drug traffickingRead the Press Release
Oxford, MS – A Starkville man was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for selling pounds of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Willie Saul Dean III, a/k/a “Buck Dean”, 45, of Starkville, Mississippi pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District to Mississippi to one count of distribution of methamphetamine. Dean was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Debra M. Brown to 121 months. He was further sentenced to 5 years supervised release following his release from prison. As a part of the sentence, Dean was also ordered to forfeit $16,500.
“Citizens should have an expectation that drug dealers who peddle poison in their communities will be held accountable for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “This office will continue to join with DEA and our state and local partners to combat the distribution of illicit drugs that destroy lives in our communities.”
“Drug trafficking organizations use every method they can to distribute their poisoning,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley. “The sentencing of this offender should be a warning to anyone selling methamphetamine in Mississippi. The DEA, along with our law enforcement partners, is watching and you will be held accountable.”
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics investigated the case as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program in partnership with state and local law enforcement. Agencies assisting with the investigation included the United States Marshal’s Service and Clay County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee prosecuted the case.
St. Paul Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography in Cyberstalking and Child Exploitation CaseRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to producing a video depicting his sexual abuse of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and court documents, beginning in July 2019 through February 2023, Chedor TV, 39, created multiple online personas on apps such as Discord and Snapchat in order to cyberstalk a minor victim. He used aliases such as “Chang Vang” and “Hailey Ly” to pose as a minor and communicate with the minor victim, sending her sexually explicit pictures. During this time, while the minor victim was unaware that TV was cyberstalking her using these online aliases, TV also secretly recorded the minor victim while she was naked in the shower at his residence. TV also recorded a sexually explicit video depicting the minor victim while she was asleep at his residence. When the minor victim tried to cease contact with TV’s online persona “Chang,” TV threatened to share publicly explicit videos and images he took of the minor victim without her knowledge, causing her substantial emotional distress.
TV pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud to one count of production of child pornography. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and St. Paul Police Department. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hillary A. Taylor is prosecuting the case.
St. Augustine Man Who Led A Police Helicopter on High-Speed Chase Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Andrew Tyler Harp (31, St. Augustine) to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture for a Taurus pistol and assorted ammunition. Harp had pleaded guilty on May 27, 2022.
According to court documents, on November 24, 2021, a deputy witnessed Harp commit a traffic offense in St. Johns County. The deputy signaled Harp to pull over. In response, Harp initially appeared to be looking for a place to stop, but then accelerated and started racing down the streets of a residential neighborhood, causing the deputy to lose sight of him. A police helicopter then began tracking the speeding car.
The helicopter pilot saw an object being throw from the car. Noting the location of the object, the pilot directed another deputy to that specific location. Following the directions of the pilot, that deputy located a black backpack on the side of the road. Inside the backpack the deputy found a plastic bag containing approximately 988.3 grams of crystal methamphetamine, a digital scale, a pouch containing approximately 28.2 grams of THC wax, baggies of various sizes, nine rounds of .380 ammunition, and a paycheck and pay statement made out to Harp. A fingerprint examiner later determined that Harp’s fingerprints were on the methamphetamine’s packaging.
In the meantime, Harp continued to drive but he eventually reached a dead end, abandoned the car, and attempted to hide in a nearby wooded area. With the assistance of a police canine and the helicopter, deputies located Harp and arrested him.
When deputies searched the abandoned vehicle, they located approximately 74.5 grams of marijuana and a loaded Taurus .380 pistol. Having previously been convicted of various felony offenses, Harp was prohibited by law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Springfield, Illinois, Woman Sentenced to 54 Months for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, woman, Heather Horrighs, 44, was sentenced on January 10, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless to 54 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for bank robbery.
At the sentencing hearing, the Court found that Horrighs and co-defendant Theodis Parnell jointly planned to rob the Alliance Community Bank located at 6530 North IL-29 in Springfield, IL. On September 13, 2021, Parnell drove Horrighs to the area of the bank where he remained in the vehicle with the engine running. Horrighs then entered the bank with a package that she said contained a bomb. After receiving money from two tellers, Horrighs left the bank and Parnell acted as the getaway driver. The pair stole a total of $12,888 from the bank. Parnell was previously sentenced to 51 months in federal prison.
Horrighs was indicted in November 2021 and pleaded guilty in January 2023. She has remained in the custody of the United States Marshal Service since her arrest.
The statutory penalties for bank robbery are up to 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Springfield Field Office, with assistance from the Springfield Police Department and the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Horrighs and Parnell is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Springdale Man Sentenced to More Than 19 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – A Springdale man was sentenced today to 235 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, in January 2023, detectives with the 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force received information from a confidential source about ongoing methamphetamine distribution occurring in Northwest Arkansas. During the investigation, law enforcement conducted multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Thomas Colt Boger, age 40. Subsequently, investigators learned that there was an increase in suspected drug activity occurring at Boger’s residence in Springdale. Law enforcement later successfully seized a backpack from the residence that contained two large bundles of methamphetamine.
The purchased and seized methamphetamine was submitted to the Homeland Security Investigations Crime Laboratory for testing where it was tested and determined to be methamphetamine. Between the controlled purchases and the seized backpack, Boger was held accountable for over 2.25 kilograms of actual methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Eaton prosecuted the case.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov.
SAP to Pay over $220M to Resolve Foreign Bribery InvestigationsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – SAP SE (SAP), a publicly traded global software company based in Germany, will pay over $220 million to resolve investigations by the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
SAP’s resolution with the department stems from schemes to pay bribes to government officials in South Africa and Indonesia. The department’s resolution is coordinated with prosecutorial authorities in South Africa, as well as with the SEC.
According to court documents, SAP entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the department in connection with a criminal information filed in the Eastern District of Virginia charging the company with two counts: conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery and books and records provisions of the FCPA relating to its scheme to pay bribes to South African officials, and conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provision of the FCPA for its scheme to pay bribes to Indonesian officials.
“SAP has accepted responsibility for corrupt practices that hurt honest businesses engaging in global commerce,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We will continue to vigorously prosecute bribery cases to protect domestic companies that follow the law while participating in the international marketplace.”
“SAP paid bribes to officials at state-owned enterprises in South Africa and Indonesia to obtain valuable government business,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s resolution—our second coordinated resolution with South African authorities in just over a year—marks an important moment in our ongoing fight against foreign bribery and corruption. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with South African authorities and others around the world. This case demonstrates not only the critical importance of coordinated international efforts to combat corruption, but also how our corporate enforcement policies incentivize companies to be good corporate citizens, by cooperating with our investigations and appropriately remediating, so that we can take strong action to address misconduct.”
According to court documents, SAP and its co-conspirators made bribe payments and provided other things of value intended for the benefit of South African and Indonesian foreign officials, delivering money in the form of cash payments, political contributions, and wire and other electronic transfers, along with luxury goods purchased during shopping trips. Specifically, with respect to South Africa, between approximately 2013 and 2017, SAP, through certain of its agents, engaged in a scheme to bribe South African officials and to falsify SAP’s books, records, and accounts, all with the goal of obtaining improper advantages for SAP in connection with various contracts with South African departments, agencies, and instrumentalities, including the City of Johannesburg, the City of Tshwane, the Department of Water and Sanitation (a South African state-owned and state-controlled custodian of water services), and Eskom Holdings Limited (a South African state-owned and state-controlled energy company).
“This successful resolution against SAP is another example of the power of relationships and persistence,” said Assistant Director in Charge Donald Always of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The sustained diligence by the prosecution team and continuous collaboration with South African law enforcement, regulators, and prosecutors identified corrupt activity in multiple countries. The FBI will continue our nonstop efforts to identify, investigate, and prosecute companies willfully engaging in corrupt activities around the world.”
In addition, between approximately 2015 and 2018, SAP, through certain of its agents, engaged in a scheme to bribe Indonesian officials to obtain improper business advantages for SAP in connection with various contracts between and among SAP and Indonesian departments, agencies, and instrumentalities, including the Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan (the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) and Balai Penyedia dan Pengelola Pembiayaan Telekomunikasi dan Informatika (an Indonesian state-owned and state-controlled Telecommunications and Information Accessibility Agency).
“When the mails are used in furtherance of a fraud or corruption scheme, borders are not an obstacle for U.S. Postal Inspectors,” said Postal Inspector in Charge of Criminal Investigations Eric Shen. “Postal inspectors, with our FBI law enforcement partners and Justice Department prosecutors, followed the wide-spread trail of bribes and corruption from South Africa to Indonesia. This joint effort resulted in the defendant company paying a significant criminal penalty and agreeing to long-term remedial measures.”
Pursuant to the DPA, SAP will pay a criminal penalty of $118.8 million and administrative forfeiture of $103,396,765. SAP will also continue cooperating with the department in any ongoing or future criminal investigation arising during the term of the DPA. In addition, the department will credit up to $55.1 million of the criminal penalty against amounts that SAP pays to resolve an investigation by law enforcement authorities in South Africa for related conduct. The department will credit up to the full forfeiture amount against disgorgement that SAP pays to the SEC or South African authorities.
Under Part I of the Criminal Division’s March 2023 Compensation Incentives and Clawbacks Pilot Program, SAP’s compliance obligations include a commitment to implementing criteria relating to compliance in the company’s compensation and bonus system, subject to local labor laws. Under Part II of the Pilot Program, the department reduced the criminal penalty by $109,141 for compensation that SAP withheld from qualifying employees, which action the company defended in substantial litigation.
The department reached this resolution with SAP based on a number of factors, including, among others, the nature and seriousness of the offense. SAP received credit for its cooperation with the department’s investigation, which included (i) immediately beginning to cooperate after South African investigative reports made public allegations of the South Africa-related misconduct in 2017 and providing regular, prompt, and detailed updates to the department regarding factual information obtained through its own internal investigation, which allowed the government to preserve and obtain evidence as part of its independent investigation; (ii) expeditiously producing relevant documents and other information to the department from multiple foreign countries, while navigating foreign data privacy and related laws; (iii) at the request of the department, voluntarily making company officers and employees available for interviews; (iv) taking significant affirmative steps to facilitate interviews while addressing witness security concerns; (v) raising and resolving potential deconfliction issues between SAP’s internal investigation and the investigation being conducted by the department; (vi) promptly collecting, analyzing, and organizing voluminous information, including complex financial information, at the request of the department; (vii) translating voluminous foreign language documents to facilitate and expedite review by the department; and (viii) imaging the phones of relevant custodians at the beginning of SAP’s internal investigation, thus preserving relevant and highly probative business communications sent on mobile messaging applications.
SAP also engaged in timely remedial measures, including: (i) conducting an analysis of the root causes of the underlying conduct and gap analysis, and undertaking appropriate remediation to address those root causes and enhance its compliance program; (ii) undertaking a comprehensive risk assessment focusing on high risk areas and controls around payment processes and enhancing its regular compliance risk assessment process, including by incorporating comprehensive operational and compliance data into its risk assessments; (iii) eliminating its third-party sales commission model globally, and prohibiting all sales commissions for public sector contracts in high-risk markets; (iv) significantly increasing the budget, resources, and expertise devoted to compliance and restructuring its Offices of Ethics and Compliance to ensure adequate stature, independence, autonomy, and access to executive leadership; (v) enhancing its code of conduct and policies and procedures regarding gifts, hospitality, and the use of third parties; (vi) enhancing its reporting, investigations, and consequence management processes; (vii) adjusting compensation incentives to align with compliance objectives and reduce corruption risk; (viii) enhancing and expanding compliance monitoring and audit programs, planning, and resources, including developing a well-resourced team devoted to audits of third-party partners and suppliers; (ix) expanding its data analytics capabilities to cover over 150 countries, including all high-risk countries globally; and (x) promptly disciplining any and all employees involved in the misconduct.
In light of these considerations as well as SAP’s prior history, which include a non-prosecution agreement from 2021 with the department’s National Security Division, as well as administrative agreements with the Departments of Commerce and the Treasury relating to export law violations, and a resolution in 2016 with the SEC concerning alleged FCPA violations in Panama, the criminal penalty calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines reflects a 40% reduction off the tenth percentile above the low end of the otherwise applicable guidelines fine range.
The FBI’s International Corruption Unit and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi B. Gesch for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys William E. Schurmann, Anthony Scarpelli, and Gwendolyn A. Stamper and Assistant Chief Jonathan P. Robell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and authorities in South Africa provided assistance in this matter.
The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
SAP to Pay over $220M to Resolve Foreign Bribery InvestigationsRead the Press Release
SAP SE (SAP), a publicly traded global software company based in Germany, will pay over $220 million to resolve investigations by the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
SAP’s resolution with the department stems from schemes to pay bribes to government officials in South Africa and Indonesia. The department’s resolution is coordinated with prosecutorial authorities in South Africa, as well as with the SEC.
According to court documents, SAP entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the department in connection with a criminal information filed in the Eastern District of Virginia charging the company with two counts: conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery and books and records provisions of the FCPA relating to its scheme to pay bribes to South African officials, and conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provision of the FCPA for its scheme to pay bribes to Indonesian officials.
“SAP paid bribes to officials at state-owned enterprises in South Africa and Indonesia to obtain valuable government business,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s resolution—our second coordinated resolution with South African authorities in just over a year—marks an important moment in our ongoing fight against foreign bribery and corruption. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with South African authorities and others around the world. This case demonstrates not only the critical importance of coordinated international efforts to combat corruption, but also how our corporate enforcement policies incentivize companies to be good corporate citizens, by cooperating with our investigations and appropriately remediating, so that we can take strong action to address misconduct.”
“SAP has accepted responsibility for corrupt practices that hurt honest businesses engaging in global commerce,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We will continue to vigorously prosecute bribery cases to protect domestic companies that follow the law while participating in the international marketplace.”
According to court documents, SAP and its co-conspirators made bribe payments and provided other things of value intended for the benefit of South African and Indonesian foreign officials, delivering money in the form of cash payments, political contributions, and wire and other electronic transfers, along with luxury goods purchased during shopping trips. Specifically, with respect to South Africa, between approximately 2013 and 2017, SAP, through certain of its agents, engaged in a scheme to bribe South African officials and to falsify SAP’s books, records, and accounts, all with the goal of obtaining improper advantages for SAP in connection with various contracts with South African departments, agencies, and instrumentalities, including the City of Johannesburg, the City of Tshwane, the Department of Water and Sanitation (a South African state-owned and state-controlled custodian of water services), and Eskom Holdings Limited (a South African state-owned and state-controlled energy company).
“This successful resolution against SAP is another example of the power of relationships and persistence,” said Assistant Director in Charge Donald Always of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The sustained diligence by the prosecution team and continuous collaboration with South African law enforcement, regulators, and prosecutors identified corrupt activity in multiple countries. The FBI will continue our nonstop efforts to identify, investigate, and prosecute companies willfully engaging in corrupt activities around the world.”
In addition, between approximately 2015 and 2018, SAP, through certain of its agents, engaged in a scheme to bribe Indonesian officials to obtain improper business advantages for SAP in connection with various contracts between and among SAP and Indonesian departments, agencies, and instrumentalities, including the Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan (the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) and Balai Penyedia dan Pengelola Pembiayaan Telekomunikasi dan Informatika (an Indonesian state-owned and state-controlled Telecommunications and Information Accessibility Agency).
“When the mails are used in furtherance of a fraud or corruption scheme, borders are not an obstacle for U.S. Postal Inspectors,” said Postal Inspector in Charge of Criminal Investigations Eric Shen. “Postal inspectors, with our FBI law enforcement partners and Justice Department prosecutors, followed the wide-spread trail of bribes and corruption from South Africa to Indonesia. This joint effort resulted in the defendant company paying a significant criminal penalty and agreeing to long-term remedial measures.”
Pursuant to the DPA, SAP will pay a criminal penalty of $118.8 million and administrative forfeiture of $103,396,765. SAP will also continue cooperating with the department in any ongoing or future criminal investigation arising during the term of the DPA. In addition, the department will credit up to $55.1 million of the criminal penalty against amounts that SAP pays to resolve an investigation by law enforcement authorities in South Africa for related conduct. The department will credit up to the full forfeiture amount against disgorgement that SAP pays to the SEC or South African authorities.
Under Part I of the Criminal Division’s March 2023 Compensation Incentives and Clawbacks Pilot Program, SAP’s compliance obligations include a commitment to implementing criteria relating to compliance in the company’s compensation and bonus system, subject to local labor laws. Under Part II of the Pilot Program, the department reduced the criminal penalty by $109,141 for compensation that SAP withheld from qualifying employees, which action the company defended in substantial litigation.
The department reached this resolution with SAP based on a number of factors, including, among others, the nature and seriousness of the offense. SAP received credit for its cooperation with the department’s investigation, which included (i) immediately beginning to cooperate after South African investigative reports made public allegations of the South Africa-related misconduct in 2017 and providing regular, prompt, and detailed updates to the department regarding factual information obtained through its own internal investigation, which allowed the government to preserve and obtain evidence as part of its independent investigation; (ii) expeditiously producing relevant documents and other information to the department from multiple foreign countries, while navigating foreign data privacy and related laws; (iii) at the request of the department, voluntarily making company officers and employees available for interviews; (iv) taking significant affirmative steps to facilitate interviews while addressing witness security concerns; (v) raising and resolving potential deconfliction issues between SAP’s internal investigation and the investigation being conducted by the department; (vi) promptly collecting, analyzing, and organizing voluminous information, including complex financial information, at the request of the department; (vii) translating voluminous foreign language documents to facilitate and expedite review by the department; and (viii) imaging the phones of relevant custodians at the beginning of SAP’s internal investigation, thus preserving relevant and highly probative business communications sent on mobile messaging applications.
SAP also engaged in timely remedial measures, including: (i) conducting an analysis of the root causes of the underlying conduct and gap analysis, and undertaking appropriate remediation to address those root causes and enhance its compliance program; (ii) undertaking a comprehensive risk assessment focusing on high risk areas and controls around payment processes and enhancing its regular compliance risk assessment process, including by incorporating comprehensive operational and compliance data into its risk assessments; (iii) eliminating its third-party sales commission model globally, and prohibiting all sales commissions for public sector contracts in high-risk markets; (iv) significantly increasing the budget, resources, and expertise devoted to compliance and restructuring its Offices of Ethics and Compliance to ensure adequate stature, independence, autonomy, and access to executive leadership; (v) enhancing its code of conduct and policies and procedures regarding gifts, hospitality, and the use of third parties; (vi) enhancing its reporting, investigations, and consequence management processes; (vii) adjusting compensation incentives to align with compliance objectives and reduce corruption risk; (viii) enhancing and expanding compliance monitoring and audit programs, planning, and resources, including developing a well-resourced team devoted to audits of third-party partners and suppliers; (ix) expanding its data analytics capabilities to cover over 150 countries, including all high-risk countries globally; and (x) promptly disciplining any and all employees involved in the misconduct.
In light of these considerations as well as SAP’s prior history, which include a non-prosecution agreement from 2021 with the department’s National Security Division, as well as administrative agreements with the Departments of Commerce and the Treasury relating to export law violations, and a resolution in 2016 with the SEC concerning alleged FCPA violations in Panama, the criminal penalty calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines reflects a 40% reduction off the tenth percentile above the low end of the otherwise applicable guidelines fine range.
The FBI’s International Corruption Unit and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys William E. Schurmann, Anthony Scarpelli, and Gwendolyn A. Stamper and Assistant Chief Jonathan P. Robell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi B. Gesch for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and authorities in South Africa provided assistance in this matter.
The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
Information DPARepeat Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Somerset County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for possessing multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
John Schulenburg, 68, of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to a superseding information charging him with possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court. Schulenburg was previously convicted of endangering the welfare of a child/possession of child pornography in Somerset County in 2013. For a repeat offender, the charge of possession of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In July 2019, an undercover law enforcement officer conducted an online session using a publicly available peer-to-peer program, which allows internet users to trade digital files. During this session, a user shared multiple files featuring images of child sexual abuse from an internet address traced to Schulenburg’s residence. On Nov. 6, 2019, law enforcement lawfully obtained a computer from Schulenburg’s residence that contained hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse, including images of prepubescent children.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Schulenburg to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $58,000 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents with the Newark Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of FBI Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office for its assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Barnes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for His Enticement of an Orange County MinorRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that MATTHEW MILLS was sentenced to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Nelson Román for his enticement of an 11-year-old minor. Today’s sentencing followed MILLS’s guilty plea on September 29, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Matthew Mills’s crimes are the nightmare of every parent. Even after registering as a sex offender, Mills was able to prey on a young child from across the country, but the career prosecutors of this Office and our investigative partners were relentless in pursuing this predator. Today’s lengthy sentence ensures that Mills will face justice for his reprehensible conduct.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in related court proceedings:
From on or about July 30, 2020, up to and including on or about July 31, 2020, MATTHEW MILLS exchanged text messages with an 11-year-old minor (“Victim-1”) and directed Victim-1 to take and transmit sexually explicit photographs and videos of Victim-1 to MILLS. At the time of these communications, MILLS was in Colorado and Victim-1 was in Orange County.
Earlier in 2020, MILLS pled guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Child, a Class 4 Felony, in the state of Colorado. As a result of this offense, on or about July 10, 2020, MILLS was sentenced to an eight-year term of probation and was required to register as a sex offender in Colorado.
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In addition to the prison sentence, MILLS, 32, of Aurora, Colorado, was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Denver Police Department in connection with this investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia S. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.
Prior sex offender sentenced for new crimesRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, Miss – A Nettleton, Mississippi man was sentenced today to more than 13 years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse materials.
According to court documents, Clyde Lee Hall, 49 years old, was originally charged with failure to register as a sex offender in the Northern District of Mississippi after absconding from the Dismas Charities Residential Reentry Center while on federal supervised release. A later Cybertip revealed that Hall had been transporting and viewing child pornography on his mobile device following his release from prison. Hall had over 180 videos stored in his Google account, many of which portrayed the sexual abuse of victims under the age of 12. Hall’s prior child pornography conviction enhanced the penalties available to the Court.
On Wednesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced Hall to 162 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will do everything possible to see that criminals who victimize children or who take pleasure in watching children being victimized are held accountable for their abhorrent crimes,” remarked U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “We applaud the work by the United States Marshals Service and the FBI in helping to bring this offender to justice and hope that this sentence will serve as a deterrent to others who would consider transporting or viewing child pornography.”
The United States Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King prosecuted the case.
Previously Convicted Woman from Pinedale Charged with Escaping CustodyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Betrina Harry Grey appeared in federal court on an indictment charging her with escape. Betrina, 32, of Pinedale, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in temporary custody pending a detention hearing, which is scheduled for January 12, 2024.
According to the indictment, Grey knowingly escaped from custody at the Diersen Charities Residential Re-entry Center, an institutional facility in which she was lawfully confined to following her conviction for involuntary manslaughter and assault resulting in serious bodily injury on Nov. 11, 2022.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the most serious allegation, Grey faces five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
View the Indictment# # #
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